The present invention relates to electronic devices and methods for specifying a time when a specified process was performed, and to transmitters and receivers for use in the electronic devices.
Conventionally, some electronic devices such as facsimile devices/pagers are known which record/store the time when they receive/transmit data from/to other electronic devices. In the case of the electronic device which stores the time when it transmits data, the time output from a clock circuit provided in the electronic device thereof is used whereas in the case of the electronic device which stores the time when it receives data, the time output from a clock circuit provided in the electronic device is used.
There are many demands for transmission of some obtained target data along with data on the time when the target data was received (and not along with data on the time when the target data was transmitted), when the time data is significant. To this end, the obtained target data and the data on the time when the target data was obtained are temporarily stored in a memory and then transmitted to the requesting end.
For example, in the case of an in-home examination and treatment where a patient measures his or her living body data such as his or her pulse, blood pressure or electrocardiogram waveform at his or her home, and sends the data over a telephone line to medical facilities, it is necessary to further send data on the time when the living body data were measured. If otherwise, it cannot be known when the target data were obtained, and the target data cannot serve as a good reference for diagnosis.
In addition, for example, a time when an image was picked up by an electronic still camera having a communication function can be desired to be sent along with the picked-up image.
When data on the time when such data to be sent is stored and sent, a clock circuit is required to be provided at the transmitting end. In this case, the time recorded by the clock circuit is required to be accurate at all times.
If a clock circuit is also provided at the receiving end, the sending and receiving ends are required to be synchronized. Thus, in order to satisfy such requirement at all times, the transmitting and receiving ends are continuously required to be synchronized or corrected with respect to time, which is very troublesome.
If living body data measuring devices are required for the respective measuring items, for example, if separate devices such as electrocardiograms and pulse meters measure the corresponding data and send same, in an in-home examination and treatment, the respective devices are required to be synchronized, which is very troublesome.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide electronic devices which include a transmitter and a receiver, and which are capable of storing and specifying a time when the data to be transmitted was obtained even when no current time measuring means is provided in the transmitter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide electronic devices and methods which eliminate troublesome synchronization between the transmitter and receiver even when a current time measuring means is provided in the transmitter, and to further provide transmitters, receivers and storage mediums which are operable with such electronic devices.